Fields and Build Panel
The Fields and Build panel is the primary data-binding interface in the Output Designer. The left portion lists all blueprint sections and their available fields. The right portion (the Build panel) shows the component-specific binding slots — called wells — for the currently selected component. Dragging a field from the section list into a well binds that data dimension to the component.
Panel structure
Section list (left)
All reporting sections exposed by the blueprint are shown in a collapsible tree. Expand a section to see its available fields. Fields are typed: Text (T), Number (N), Date (D), Boolean (B), or Calculated (fx).
Build panel (right)
Shows the wells specific to the selected component type. Wells are labelled by their role (e.g., "Category", "Value", "Series", "Start date"). Some wells are required (marked with an asterisk); others are optional.
Well types per component
| Component | Wells |
|---|---|
| Table | Columns (one or many fields), Sort field, Group by field (up to 3) |
| Matrix | Row group (up to 3), Column group (1–2), Value field |
| Chart (bar/line/area) | Category or Date, Value (one or many), Series (optional), Tooltip fields |
| Pie / Donut | Category, Value, Tooltip fields |
| Scatter | X axis field, Y axis field, Series (optional), Label field |
| Bubble | X axis, Y axis, Size field, Series, Label |
| KPI Card (single) | Metric field, Comparison field (optional), Sparkline period + value |
| KPI Card (multi) | Category field, Value field, Sort field |
| Gantt | Activity label, Start, Finish, Baseline start, Baseline finish, Progress, Status |
| Cash flow curve | Period, Baseline value, Actual value, Forecast value |
| Earned value | Period, PV, EV, AC, BAC |
| Resource profile | Period, Value, Group by (optional), Capacity (optional) |
| Waterfall | Label, Value, Step type |
| Treemap | Category, Value, Parent (optional), Color field |
| Funnel | Stage label, Value |
| Decomposition tree | Root metric, Decomposition fields (ordered list) |
| Box plot | Category, Value, Series (optional) |
| Scatter-Bubble | X, Y, Size (bubble only), Series, Label |
| MTA | Milestone, Period, Forecast date, Baseline date |
| Map | Latitude, Longitude, Label, Color/status, Size |
| Slicer | Field (the dimension to filter on) |
| Subreport | (No fields — uses parameter mapping instead) |
Aggregation options
For numeric fields dropped into value wells, set the aggregation in the well settings:
| Aggregation | Description |
|---|---|
| Sum | Total all values. The default for cost, hours, and count fields. |
| Average | Mean value across rows. |
| Count | Number of rows. |
| Count distinct | Number of unique values. |
| Min | Smallest value. |
| Max | Largest value. |
| First | First value in sort order. |
| Last | Last value in sort order. |
| Custom expression | Enter a formula referencing other fields (see Calculated fields). |
Aggregation is applied per component well, so the same field can be summed in one well and averaged in another.
Calculated field binding
Calculated fields appear in the field list with an fx type badge. They behave identically to regular fields in binding — drag them into wells like any other field. Calculated fields are evaluated per row before aggregation.
To create a new calculated field, click + Calculated field at the bottom of the field list panel. See Parameters and Calculated Fields for full expression syntax.
Field binding workflow
- Select a component on the canvas.
- In the Build panel, identify which wells are required for the component type.
- Expand the relevant blueprint section in the field list.
- Drag a field into the required well (or click the well and select a field from the picker).
- Set the aggregation function for numeric wells.
- Click Preview to see the component render against the active edition's data.
- Adjust field selection, aggregation, or sort order as needed.
Common binding patterns
| Pattern | Components | Typical fields |
|---|---|---|
| Detail records | Table, list | Many fields from one section. |
| Category and value | Bar chart, pie, funnel, treemap | Label field + numeric value field. |
| Time series | Line chart, cash flow, S-curve | Date/period field + value field(s). |
| Metric and target | KPI card, gauge, progress bar | Metric field + optional target field. |
| Schedule visual | Gantt, resource profile, EV | Activity, dates, progress, cost fields. |
| Cross-tab | Matrix | Row group + column group + value field. |
Related
- Format Panel — styling the bound component
- Filters Panel — narrowing which rows reach the component
- Parameters and Calculated Fields — derived and runtime-selected values